The Times and The Sunday Times and carefully selected third parties use cookies on this site to improve performance, for analytics and for advertising. By browsing this site you are agreeing to this. For more information see our Privacy and Cookie policy.

Accessibility Links

A chance I thought well worth taking

Jane Pugh

November 10 2004, 12:00am, The Times

I’VE BEEN avoiding this topic. Far too painful, even for me. But last week’s decision to allow screening of IVF embryos for the gene that causes colon cancer stirred me up. Though not because it will lead to the creation of “designer babies”, to embryos being rejected for being the wrong sex, having the wrong hair colour or showing early signs of ugliness.

While I do think that some people go to ridiculous lengths to have the perfect child, surely a test that gives prospective parents the choice of whether to pass on a potential death sentence should be available without all this hysteria? There seems little point in having the scientific knowhow to identify disease early on and then get into a flap because…